Oat groats are like steel cut oats 1.0 - oat groats are oats in their whole form whereas steel cut oats have been cut into smaller pieces. This shortens the cooking time without changing the nutritive value.

Groats are oats that have had their hard outer husks removed. They are the least processed. Steel cut oats are the next step - they would be chopped up, or rolling them with big rollers would make them rolled oats

I soak my groats overnight and just heat them in the a.m. In the summer, I don't heat them, just eat them at room temp. with fruit.